BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Tracheostomy is frequently performed in patients with severe ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Little is known about readmission rates among stroke patients who undergo mechanical ventilation. METHODS We used previously validated International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition-Clinical Modification codes and data on all disch...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and diagnostic yield of bedside bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) combined with fibrescopic transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) in determining the aetiology of pulmonary infiltrates in mechanically ventilated patients. The records of 38 mechanically ventilated patients who underwent BAL/TBLB to investigate unexplained pulmonary infiltrates were retrospe...

In mechanically ventilated patients the flow pattern during bronchodilator delivery by metered-dose inhaler (MDI) could be a factor that might influence the effectiveness of this therapy. In order to test this the effect of two different inspiratory flow patterns on the bronchodilation induced by beta2-agonists administered via MDI and spacer in a group of mechanically ventilated patients with ...

BACKGROUND Patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and acute respiratory failure (ARF) from central airway obstruction (CAO) may be offered end-of-life care rather than intensive care treatment and palliative bronchoscopic intervention. OBJECTIVES To determine whether bronchoscopic intervention could be immediately successful in restoring airway patency and obviate the need ...

The aim of the study was to assess the potential role of glucocorticoids (GC) in modulating systemic and pulmonary inflammatory responses in mechanically ventilated patients with severe pneumonia. Twenty mechanically ventilated patients with pneumonia treated at a respiratory intensive care unit (RICU) of a 1,000-bed teaching hospital were prospectively studied. All patients had received prior ...

BACKGROUND In critically ill patients inspiratory muscle function may be assessed by measurements of maximal inspiratory airway pressure and the response of twitch transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi tw) to bilateral phrenic nerve stimulation. The first is limited by its total dependence on patient cooperation. Although the second approach is independent of patient volition, it is impractical beca...

The delivery of bronchodilators with a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) and a spacer in mechanically ventilated patients has become widespread practice. However, the various ventilator settings that influence the efficacy of MDI are not well established. Application of an end-inspiratory pause (EIP) during drug delivery has been suggested as one of the factors that might increase the effectiveness of...

AIM To describe characteristics and outcome of mechanically ventilated patients admitted to three newly established intensive care units (ICU) in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia for 2009 H1N1 influenza infection. METHODS The retrospective observational study included all mechanically ventilated adult patients of three university-affiliated hospitals between November 1, 2009 and March 1 2010 who...

Background and Purpose: Muscle training represents an important aspect of pulmonary rehabilitation in critically ill patients; it allows facilitating weaning process and helps patients to obtain their maximal functional capacities. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of mechanically ventilated respiratory failure patients to respiratory muscle training. Methodology: Forty mech...

There is no randomized study carried out in order to compare their pharmacokinetic parameters although midazolam, as a sedative, has been widely administered via continuous infusion as well as intermittent bolus doses in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. We prospectively investigated the effect of these two principal methods on pharmacokinetic parameters in 23 of mentioned patien...